This penalty flag a bit too harsh

Society's rules are by design black and white, which often makes them oppressive, because life is by nature a nuanced experience.

And on April 2, 2012, in the Becker College campus police station in Worcester, they say it was an unwillingness to play by the rules that triggered a sequence of events that robbed Ron Burgess of a college degree, saddled him with a rap sheet, and put at risk the one thing that has sustained him over the years — his ability to play football.

On that day, Mr. Burgess, a standout defensive back and a prospective National Football League candidate, wanted to use the college's weight room by himself, as he had done on previous occasions.

This time, however, when he asked campus police to open the weight room, he was told that for safety reasons, he was not allowed to use the facility alone. He objected and was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, threatening to commit a crime and resisting arrest.

Court records state Mr. Burgess mouthed off to police, threatened them, and "physically" tensed his arms and stepped toward an officer.

A jury found him not guilty of the threats but guilty on the other two charges. He is appealing, but the damage is already done. He was expelled from Becker, before his case was adjudicated, and with just one semester remaining to graduate.

The college would not comment, except to say in a statement that Becker students "must abide by all federal, state and local laws as well as a Student Code of Conduct."

With Mr. Burgess having already completed his football eligibility, and having paid some $42,000 in tuition, the college can perhaps afford to stand on the rigidness of its rules. But Mr. Burgess' mother, Genieve Moseley, said the college was exceptionally harsh on her son, "a young man trying to find his way."

"I was always on him to finish high school and go to college, and to see that taken away from him at this point is devastating," Ms. Moseley said.

A single parent, she had signed Ron up for football when he was 5, and did the best she could in steering him and his two siblings through the minefields of the tough community in Miami where they lived.

She wasn't always successful. In 2007, Ron and his sibling were arrested on armed burglary charges, and spent nine months in jail. Ms. Moseley was relieved when he left for Becker, and pinched and saved the best she could to support his tuition.

The change of scene greatly benefited the young man. He played four years at Becker, holding the school's record for interceptions during a season. He was also chairman of the college's Black Student Union, and held a job throughout his college career as a counselor in a UMass Memorial program for young people with alcohol dependency.

Becker head football coach Mike Lichten, whom Mr. Burgess considers a mentor and father figure, is saddened by the predicament of his former player, but believes Mr. Burgess' faith and the love of his family will pull him through.

"When he sets a goal, he is relentless in accomplishing it," he said. "He is smart, patient and has a good heart, always willing to give back to the community."

Mr. Burgess' football dream is still on track. He's going to attend an NFL regional combine in Baltimore this month. And while he believes the college rules trumped fair play in his case, he takes comfort in a lesson he learned from the young people he counseled.

"Success to me is changing the lives of others, including yourself, for the better," he said.

It is a philosophy that should sustain him when the rules don't bend to common sense.